Have Faith
by neon maverick
Summary: Troy’s younger sister, Ashley, is turning rebellious and when Troy soon learns help comes from the most unexpected place, will it be too late?
1. Prologue

_Troy's younger sister, Ashleigh, is turning rebellious and when Troy soon learns help comes from the most unexpected place, will it be too late? _

_Really sorry, but Troy's Mom and Dad have to die in this one_.

January, 2007

'Kids, we're going to the movies now. Have fun, and try not to kill each other please. Ashleigh, do everything Troy says, and Troy, don't use Ashleigh to your advantage. Love you.' Mrs Bolton said, shutting the door.

There was silence between the two for a minute or so. Every so often, Ashleigh would finger her pink Tee or her bootleg jeans or Troy would sit uncomfortably bouncing his basketball.

'Have you done your homework, Ash?'

'Yes. Hey, Troy?'

'Yeah?' Troy turned towards his younger sister.

'Can you teach me how to play basketball? Everyone else can play at school and I can't.'

Troy raised his eyebrows slightly. She barely ever asked him to teach her something. Then he smiled. 'I'd love to.'

The phone was ringing off the hook by the time Troy and Ashleigh had come in from out back.

'Oh, shi…shoot.' Troy said, with an apologetic glance at his sister.

He threw the ball to her and she caught it perfectly. He picked up the phone while she twirled it round on the tip of her finger.

'What?'

Ashleigh stopped playing at the tone of her brother's voice. 'Troy?'

Before she knew it, Troy dropped the phone and sunk to his knees, his face in his hands.

'Troy?!' Ashleigh dropped the ball and picked up the phone.

'…_sorry for your loss.'_

'What? What do you mean?'

'_I'm guessing that you are Mr and Mrs Bolton's daughter?'_

'This is her.'

'_I'm sorry to say that you're parents have been in a car crash. They died on impact. I'm very sorry.'_

Troy looked up at the sound of his younger sister's choked sob. He wiped his eyes and watched as she hung up and dropped the phone and didn't even wince when it landed on her foot. She looked at him and dropped to her knees beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and after a few minutes she mumbled into his chest.

'Troy?'

'Yeah?'

'Mom said she loved us before she went out, didn't she?'

'Yeah, she did.' Troy said, breathing heavily, nearly breaking down again at the sound of his sister's voice at her next bit.

'But we didn't say it back.'

* * *

July, 2007

'We're going to shoot some hoops, Troy. You coming?' Chad asked, tossing the ball to Jason.

'Nah, I have to go and pick my sister up from detention…again.' Troy said, biting his lip, feeling bad as soon as he said it.

'Go on ahead, you guys!' Chad said, with a wave of his hand to the team.

'You know I can talk to her, if you want? I know what it's like to be rebellious.' He said quietly.

'Yeah…maybe. Anyway, if you see Gabriella, can you tell her that I have to go pick up Ash?'

'Sure, man.'

Troy walked down to the principal's office, seeing his sister, sitting outside, kicking her legs in boredom. He suddenly remembered what she used to be like.

Pink, girly, shrieking show-off type, who cared if someone had the same outfit as her, popular girl with popular friends and a popular boyfriend.

He looked at her again and saw the new girl.

Black and Red, emo, still shrieking but only when she was throwing a hissy-fit, didn't care what people thought of her…unpopular, lonely, no friends.

Troy felt sorry for her. He didn't know what it was like, he'd never been unpopular. The only friends she had were his friends. They loved her, thought she was sweet, but they didn't know what was going on in that head of hers.

No-one did.

* * *

_So, how was it? Second HSM fanfic, I didn't think it was that bad. Please R+R! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows._


	2. The Art of Fighting

'Mr Bolton, you realise that she only has one more chance. If she pulls one more of her stances, then she will be expelled.' The principal looked at Troy with stern eyes.

'Do you know what she's going through? Cause I don't think you do.' Troy defended his sister.

'Your parents died 6 months ago, Mr Bolton.' The principal sighed deeply.

'And you think that's enough time for her to get through it? Hell, I haven't even got past it yet! With all due respect, which isn't much, you really need to take a lesson in understanding kids, Principal. Good day.'

Troy got up from his chair, fuming.

'Mr Bolton –'

'I _said_, good day.' Troy stormed out, and only to make things worse, Sharpay Evans was bending down on one knee in front of his sister, looking at Ashley's art book.

'Get away from her, Sharpay.'

'I was only trying to cheer her –'

'Go!' Troy yelled.

'Fine then. All you needed to do was ask.' Sharpay smiled at Ashley and walked off.

Troy grabbed Ashley's wrist and pulled her up and along the hall.

'Troy, get off.' Ashley complained, struggling.

He stopped and turned round to face her, so close that she started to shy away. 'Do you know what it's like to have to trail down to the principal's office nearly every fucking day and then see you with Sharpay Evans? Do you?!' He was still holding onto her wrist, it was starting to turn her hand purple.

'Troy, stop it, you're hurting me.' Ashley said, starting to cry.

'I don't fucking care!' Troy turned back round and started to walk off again, tightening his grip on her wrist.

'I hate you.' Troy felt like he'd been stabbed.

'What?'

Ashley swallowed harshly. 'I hate you. All you ever do is get mad now! You don't care about me; you just care about intimidating me! And when Sharpay came over to ask me if I was alright, I actually felt like someone cared about me!' Chad, the basketball team and Gabriella came round the corner. 'Every single time someone mentions our parents or their parents, you take all your anger out on me! I hate you! And I bet you hate me!'

Troy let go of Ashley's wrist and hit her hard. She reeled back, still crying, holding the side of her face. He looked at his hand as if he couldn't believe what he'd just done. Chad and Gabriella ran over, followed by the rest of the team. Gabriella pushed Troy gently away, whispering for him to calm down. Chad knelt down in front of Ashley, along with Jason and Zeke. He hugged her, smiling slightly at Troy. Troy reached forward, wanting to hug her, but Gabriella held him back.

'I wouldn't. Not yet.' Gabriella said, holding his hand.

Ashley pulled away from Chad, opening her art book. She opened it on a page and dropped it at Troy's feet. He jumped slightly.

'Hope you like it.' Ashley said, running off.

Troy looked at the art book. Her piece was titled My Family, with a skilled detailed picture of her and Troy. It looked exactly like him and her. He picked it up and started to walk after her.


	3. Accepted

Sharpay Evans slammed her pink locker shut with a loud bang, breaking one of her long manicured nails.

'Oh, great.' She said, rolling her eyes. 'This is all Troy Bolton's fault.'

As if on cue, Ashley walked past fuming. One cheek was bright red, yet the other perfectly unblemished. There were tears rolling down her cheeks, which she kept wiping away roughly with the cuff of her sleeve. She pushed past Sharpay, still wiping at her eyes.

'Ashley!' She had never been so rough with Sharpay before.

Ashley turned round. 'What?! Oh right, sorry. Hi.' She said meekly.

'What's the matter?' Sharpay knelt down on one knee, wiping away one of Ashley's tears with her thumb.

'Troy…hit…me.' She said slowly, wondering whether she should have told her.

'What?! I'm gonna kill him. I am. I'm going to kill him.' Sharpay said, standing up and looking around.

They both heard hard heavy fast footsteps. Ashley ran off. 'I'll talk to you later, Sharpay!' she called over her shoulder.

Troy came round the corner, holding Ashley's art book. Sharpay stamped angrily over to him, slapping him round the face.

'Okay, I deserve that.' Troy said, sighing.

'Damn right you do! How could you hit her? She's really upset.' Sharpay said, hands on her hips.

'You've seen her?'

'Yes. And she—'

'Where'd she go?'

Sharpay pointed. 'Troy, I don't think—'

'Frankly, I couldn't care less what you think. She's my sister, just keep away from her.' Troy ran off after his little sister, his trainers squeaking on the polished floor.

'I was gonna say the same to you.' Sharpay sighed.

* * *

Troy came in the house just minutes after Ashley. She was making coffee, pouring two cups. 

'Hey.' Troy said, putting the art book on the counter.

Ashley jumped and the coffee spilt over her hand.

'Whoa. Here.' Troy held her hand under the cold tap, holding it tenderly.

'I can do it myself.' She struggled but he held on tight. She calmed down and he loosened his grip.

After a few minutes, he let go and she pulled away, wiping up the coffee. Then she poured the rest and gave one to Troy. She took one and walked into the living room.

Troy followed her, sitting opposite. A tabby kitten padded slowly across the room and Troy watched as she jumped onto Ashley's lap and curled up in her crossed legs, half asleep. Ashley stroked her, avoiding eye contact with Troy.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, for everything.' Troy said quietly.

There was a minute of silence. Troy looked down at his lap. He vaguely heard shuffling, and the kitten padding softly into a different room. Then suddenly arms wrapped around his neck.

'Apology accepted.'


	4. Silence is as Good as Words

_Okay, I sort of changed Ashleigh to Ashley, so sorry._

A purplish bruise had appeared on the side of Ashley's face. She was rubbing foundation slowly and painfully over it as Troy walked in. He bit his lip.

'Oh God. Sorry.' He walked over.

'It's fine.' Ashley said, rubbing it in more.

'No – it's not. Ash, let me make it up to you. Let's go to that fancy restaurant you like?'

'McDonalds?' she joked.

'No, the French one.' Troy said, smiling.

'Oh, that one. If you insist. You know we're tight on money though, Troy. We're lucky they let you become my guardian and let us keep the house after…' Ashley gulped. 'After…it happened.'

'Yeah, I guess.' Troy sat on the edge of Ashley's bed. 'Ash…you know you like Sharpay? Why did you go to her and not me?'

'Because you hit me.' Ashley said quietly.

A bolt of lightening and heavy rain started to pour down. Troy shot up from the bed. 'That's your fault!' He jogged out of the room.

'Troy! Troy! Where are you going?!'

'School!' Troy yelled back.

'Troy!' Ashley ran after her brother as he walked angrily down the street. She grabbed her school bag before going and locked the door. She ran after him and in front of him so she stopped him. Both had forgotten umbrellas.

'How is it my fault?'

'Because you're always at the principal's office. Don't you know how fucking tiring it is?!' he yelled at her and tried to dodge her.

He started walking to Chad's house. He got there and knocked as Ashley came up behind him. They started yelling at each other as Chad opened the door.

'Whoa, guys! Troy, chill dude. Ash, stop yelling. Guys!' The siblings looked at Chad.

'Don't tell me how to control her, Chad.' Troy said.

'You do a very good job of it already.' Ashley muttered.

'What did you say?!' Troy turned on her.

They both shouted continuously at each other and as they walked down the street, Chad was getting very annoyed as well.

'You just don't understand me!'

'I understand you all too well!'

'Oh yeah? What's my favourite colour?'

'Black.'

'Ha! It's green!'

'That's stupid anyway! Why don't you just die?!' Troy yelled at his little sister.

Ashley looked at him for a second. The she ran into the busy road, ignoring the horns of cars.

Troy didn't change his expression towards her as Chad bit his lip. Their expressions both changed as one car didn't stop fast enough.

Ashley screamed.

Troy closed his eyes.

Chad stepped back in horror.

The car swerved.

The rain got heavier.

Ashley fell.

Silence.


	5. Choke

Troy forgot all the anger he'd just had for his sister

Troy forgot all the anger he'd just had for his sister. All the traffic screeched to a halt as they noticed the young girl lying silent on the ground. They all feared the worst. The only car that moved was the one that hit Ashley; it speedily retreated as Troy and Chad ran over to where the small girl covered in blood shook slightly. Troy put a hand on her cheek.

'Ashley?' he whispered quietly.

Ashley opened her eyes; her lips moved but no sound came out. Troy leant towards her as she tried again: 'I'm sorry.'

'No, no. Don't be sorry, Ash. Please don't.'

Ashley closed her eyes again. Troy started shaking her. 'Ashley? Ashley. Wake up. Ashley!'

* * *

'Do you think Ashley's forgiven Troy yet?' Taylor asked as she and Gabriella started walking down to school. They would have taken the bus but there was a traffic jam.

'Probably. Hopefully. They're quite close.' Gabriella answered. Suddenly she saw a familiar head of frizzy brown hair. 'Hey, look. It's your_ boyfriend_. Hey, Chad!' she yelled to get his attention.

Chad turned towards them. His eyes were bloodshot. Taylor and Gabriella ran to him, concerned.

'Babe, what's wrong?' Taylor asked.

'Troy.' Was all Chad could say. He pointed to his best friend.

Gabriella saw Troy kneeling on the ground and blood around him. She saw Ashley lying on the ground next to him, motionless. 'Oh no.'

Troy looked up at Gabriella. 'Gabi.' He managed to choke out. There were tears rolling down his cheeks and blood on his face. Gabriella ran over and hugged him hard.

'Hospital.' He whispered.

'Why don't we call an ambulance?' Gabriella said, her heart breaking.

Troy shook his head vigorously, gulping. 'She hates ambulances. She'd never forgive me.'

'But what if…' Gabriella was silenced by Troy's dark look. 'How are you gonna get there then? Carry her?'

'Good idea.' Troy said, slipping a hand under his sister's back and one under her knees.

'No, I didn't mean…' Gabriella sighed, looking at Taylor and Chad helplessly.

* * *

Troy walked swiftly into the hospital with the others running behind him. The lady in reception didn't look up. 'Take a seat.' She said.

'I need help.' Troy said.

The receptionist was either having a bad day or just very cocky. 'Well, you've come to the right place, sir.'

'No, my sister needs help now.'

'So does everyone else in this hospital. That's why they're here. Now if you would kindly take a seat and –'

'I will _not _take a seat! My sister is dying, and you aren't doing a damn thing about it!' Troy thundered.

The receptionist finally looked up at his harsh words. She saw Ashley in Troy's arms and pressed a small red button on the inside of the desk. A doctor came rushing out of an office and the minute he saw the situation, he took Ashley from Troy's arms and rushed off, calling for back up.

Troy just stood with his arms buoyed, trying to get used to the fact that there was no longer anything in them.


	6. Still There

_Troy's thoughts are italic._

* * *

_How could I have been so stupid?_

_I've already lost my parents, and then I wish for my sister to die. Look where that got me. _

_God, I hope she's okay. Please let her be okay._

_Gabriella is crying beside me. I think I'm crying. I can't tell anymore. Chad puts a strong hand on my shoulder. I look at him and he smiles sympathetically. He's crying too. I look at Taylor. She's not crying. She doesn't smile. She never liked me. She probably thought I pushed my sister in front of that car. _

_Gabriella taps on my shoulder. I turn towards her. 'Yeah?' _

_She points at two people who have just entered the hospital. Sharpay and Ryan. Oh God. _

_Sharpay sees me and runs towards me. I wait for the slap. I wait for the searing pain. It doesn't come. Her arms wrap round my neck. 'I'm sorry, Troy.' She whispers. 'I'm really sorry.' _

_I smile slightly. She can't see me but I think she knows. Suddenly her body tenses. I lean back. 'What?' _

_She points. 'Err, um…' I look towards the direction of her finger. I see the doctor that took away my sister. He looks grave. I run up to him. _

'_How is she?' My friends come running up behind me._

'_She's…stable. She may not last the night.'_

* * *

Troy fell to the ground, his face in his hands. Gabriella and Sharpay both knelt down next to him, rocking him. Chad clapped a hand over his mouth, looking at his best friend guiltily. Taylor bit her lip, trying to keep herself from falling apart. She took hold of the situation, as she knew no-one else would.

'Can we see her?' she asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.

'Yes.' Was the simple answer from the doctor.

He opened the door for them. Gabriella and Sharpay stood up and went in. Chad helped Troy up. 'Come on.'

Troy shook his head violently. 'I don't want to. I'll go on my own.'

Chad nodded understandingly. 'Ok.'

As Taylor passed Troy, she knew what he was thinking. 'I don't blame you, Troy.' She whispered.

Troy smiled ever so slightly. Taylor smiled back and walked into the room. After about 10 minutes, they all slowly walked out. If possible, they were crying harder than before.

They all sat down and Troy breathed deeply, walking in. They listened.

Troy's cries were heartrending.

* * *

_Seeing her like that broke me. It tore me up inside. Her hair was matted together by the rain and the blood. She still had her own clothes on. Her eyebrows were knitted together in pain. The doctor had told me that the respirator was keeping her alive. _

_With one hand, I laid my palm onto her chest. The beating wasn't comforting. She was in pain; that was the one I couldn't stand. With my other hand, I switched the breathing apparatus off. _

_I waited for any noticeable changes. _

_Her heartbeat slowed. _

_It didn't stop. _

_She was still there. _

_My little sister was fighting. _

_My baby sister was alive._

* * *

_This chapter is in dedication to my friend whose mum died today. Love you, Niamh. xx _


	7. Unexpected

**This is the right chapter...hopefully.**

_2 days later…_

'Mr Bolton?' Troy looked up at his name. He ran over to the doctor.

'What? Has something happened?'

'Please come into my office.' All of Troy's friends looked anxious as he disappeared into the doctor's office.

'So?' Troy said, as he sat down opposite the doctor. 'What's happened? Did the surgery go wrong?' He was getting used to bad news.

'…No. The surgery went fine, but…' Troy gave him an odd look. '…but…I found some disturbing news.'

'If you're talking about my parents, then—'

'This isn't about your parents, Mr Bolton.'

'What's it about then?'

'I found scars—'

'I'm not abusing her!' Troy practically yelled.

'I'm not saying are, Mr Bolton. I completely trust you. I wouldn't say that in front of the police though. You two could be separated.' The doctor pulled up his sleeves.

'I found scars on her wrists.' Troy breathed deeply. 'Some weren't as fresh as others. They were all horizontal, so there are no signs of attempted suicide.' Troy didn't say anything. 'But…that's not it.'

'There's more?'

'We also found signs of anorexia during her operation. She is 5'3, Mr Bolton; do you what weight she should be?'

'About 7 stone?'

'Exactly. Your sister is 4 ½ stone, Mr Bolton.'

Troy put a hand over his mouth. 'How could I not notice this?'

'We have had many cases like this, Mr Bolton. Try not to be discomforted.'

Troy looked up, anger burning in his eyes. 'My little sister is anorexic and she self harms and you're telling me not to be _discomforted_?!'

Troy walked out, slamming the door behind him. Chad and Gabriella got up. 'What's the matter?'

Troy pushed past them as if nothing had been said, and broke into a sprint down the corridor, running outside.

'I'll go.' Chad raced after his best friend.

Gabriella looked at Sharpay and Sharpay smiled slightly.

* * *

'Troy, dude! Wait up!' Chad grabbed Troy's shoulder.

'Troy?' Troy didn't turn round.

'Troy, what's wrong?'

'She…'

Chad turned him round and sat him down on the cool grass outside the hospital. 'She's what?'

'She's…anorexic.'

Chad, always trying to look on the bright side of things, said what he thought best. 'Well, she can't be that bad.'

'Chad. She's 5'3, and 4 and ½ stone. And she self harms. How could I have been so stupid?'

'Whoa, back up. She self harms? Please tell me this is just a few small pinches or whatever.'

Troy shook his head. 'She cuts, Chad. I don't how I could have not noticed.'

* * *

All Troy's friends had gone home, after much reluctance, and it was about 3 in the morning. Unbeknown to Troy, Sharpay was still outside in the waiting room. He had gone down to the churchyard to see his parent's graves. Ashley opened her eyes, trying to get things back in focus. She looked around and gulped. She tried to say her brother's name, though she didn't know if she'd forgiven him yet. No sound came out, so she reached for a small red button that was next to her. It hurt to move. A doctor, working on night shift, came into the room. He saw Ashley and smiled. She tried to smile back, but it hurt to do even that.

'How's the sleeping beauty, then?' He came over.

Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but to no avail. The doctor frowned. 'That's odd.'

Sharpay had seen the doctor go into the room, and was concerned that he hadn't come out quickly, like he always did. She walked into the room and saw Ashley awake.

'Oh my God.' She walked round to the other side of the bed and took hold of Ashley's hand. 'Hey sweetie.'

She also frowned when Ashley said nothing. 'What's wrong? Why can't she talk?'

'She could have lost her voice…'

'I've lost my voice before; I should know that this _isn't_ her losing her voice.' Sharpay rubbed Ashley's hand and the small girl smiled, no matter how much it hurt.

'We don't know the extent of her injuries…'

'You're saying it could be permanent?!' Ashley squeezed Sharpay's hand, trying to calm her down.

'That's not the only thing that could be permanent…' The doctor glanced at Ashley's legs and Sharpay nearly screamed.

'She could be paralysed?!'

Both Ashley and Sharpay looked at the doctor with fear in their eyes. This just happened to be the time that Troy walked in and gasped.

**Please Review.**


	8. Questions

Troy kneeled by his parents' graves. He placed a hand on top of his mothers and ran his fingers down it. He'd been talking to them for half an hour now.

'…and Ashley's in hospital.' Troy's voice broke. 'Through no fault of her own. Because I yelled at her and she ran; she got hit by a car. I feel so responsible all the time. Now, not only are you in my mind every second, she is too. The doctor said that she has anorexia and she self-harms. I can't live with myself.' Troy wiped a stray tear from his cheek.

Troy got up and brushed himself down. 'I love you.' He whispered.

He walked away from the grounds and into the hospital, seeing Sharpay walking into his sister's room. He creased his eyebrows and followed her. As he got closer, he heard a small scream.

'She could be paralysed?!'

Troy swiftly walked in; he saw his sister like he always did but this time she wasn't asleep. He gasped, and both Sharpay and Ashley opened their mouths. He walked closer slowly.

'What do you mean, paralysed?' Troy forced the words out.

Ashley opened her mouth to tell him but she quickly realised that wasn't possible.

Troy frowned. He turned towards the doctor. 'What's wrong? Why can't she speak?'

'She may have damaged her vocal chords.' The doctor said quietly.

Troy swallowed harshly. He walked closer towards his sister and forced a smile out. 'Hi sis.'

Ashley didn't look at him back. She stared blankly into space, as if he wasn't there. 'Ash?' Troy asked quietly.

She wanted to turn away, but there were two things holding her back: her brother's face as she ignored him, and partly because it hurt too much.

'Please talk to me.' Troy knew this was a bad choice of words.

'She's not going to talk to any of us, Troy.' Sharpay said, tightening her hold on Ashley's hand.

Ashley looked him straight in the eye, and just as Troy was about to break the painful gaze, she smiled slightly. He knew from the new look in her eyes that she was forgiving him. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and placed a hand on the back of her head. He leant forward and kissed her on the cheek. He looked at Sharpay and the doctor. 'Can we have a moment?' he smiled slightly.

They both nodded. Sharpay squeezed Ashley's hand and left with the doctor.

Troy sat down on the edge of her bed. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Ashley found it hard to be unable to speak and move. She looked at him with confusion.

Troy frowned. 'About your wrists…and that you were anorexic…?' he said quietly.

Ashley shook her head slightly, signalling that she hadn't been able to. He looked down at his hands.

'So…are you still…?'

Ashley nodded slightly, tears spilling down her cheeks. He reached out and wiped some away, but fresh ones kept coming.

'Please stop.' Troy pleaded with her.

Ashley didn't do anything. She ran her hand over her side table, not being able to turn her head to search for a pad and pen. Troy pushed them towards her and she wrote slowly, not joining the letters up like she usually did. It took her a minute or two before she'd written it. She showed it to Troy.

_What if I can't?_

**Please Review.**


	9. Force

Gabriella came into Ashley's room. 'Hey.' She whispered excitedly.

Ashley swivelled her eyes towards her and smiled. Gabriella sat down on the edge of her bed. 'So…Troy told me that you can't speak or walk at the moment, so I thought I'd take you out. Do you want to?'

Ashley nodded, but looked confused.

Gabriella smiled. 'Sharpay's coming with us, so we're not exactly tight for money. I'm going to take you in a wheelchair, so you won't have to walk. Troy wanted to come, but I told him that we girls needed our time together.'

Ashley grinned. She pointed to the IV in her left hand. Gabriella went out of the room and came back in, with a wheelchair. 'It's adapted so that you can stay connected with all your machines and contraptions.' Gabriella grinned, but it faded.

'And also, Ash…Troy told me about your anorexia and self harming.' Ashley's eyes widened. 'But…I wanted you to know that…we're all there for you.' Ashley relaxed and smiled again.

Gabriella wheeled Ashley out of the Evan's limousine. Sharpay took out her credit card and put it in front of Ashley's face, watching her grin cheekily.

'I want you to spend this on anything you like. Do you think you can do that?'

Ashley smiled and nodded eagerly. She sometimes wished she was popular again, but was it really worth that much?

Suddenly her smile faded. Sharpay frowned and looked up at Gabriella, who was trying to see what Ashley was staring at. She realised there was a teenage boy staring back at her. He started to walk towards her and Gabriella stepped in front of Ashley. He tried to look round Ashley, who quickly avoided his gaze.

'Can I just…speak to her?' he said, trying to dodge Gabriella.

'Who are you?' Sharpay said, raising her eyebrows.

'I'm her…ex-boyfriend.'

'And you actually think she wants to speak to you?' Sharpay said. Gabriella glanced up at her choice of words and then looked at him and then Ashley.

'Shar, let's just…give him a minute…' she pulled at Sharpay's arm, and after reluctance, Sharpay glared at him. 'I'm watching you.' She said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and tugged her away. She walked over to him. 'FYI, she's not able to talk at the moment, so don't even try. You have a minute.'

The older teens walked a few feet away and he walked forward. Ashley turned her head away and he touched her arm. She flinched, but couldn't move away because it hurt.

'So…I heard that you were in a car accident…I was worried.'

Ashley looked up at him with glassy eyes. 'I…' she forced it out. 'I…never want…want to see you again, Jake.'

Jake looked at her. 'You don't mean that.'

Sharpay rocked on her heels. 'Did you just see her mouth move?'

Gabriella shrugged. 'Don't even think about –'

'Hey guys!' Troy ran up to them.

'Troy? What are you…?' Troy was looking at Ashley.

'I…um, decided that I should come and check up on her, I was worried – what is _he _doing talking to her?' Troy asked, a hint of hate in his voice.

'Who is _he_?' Sharpay said.

'He's her ex-boyfriend. He dumped her after our parents died.' Troy walked over and the girls followed him, exchanging looks.

'Hey!' Troy yelled, drawing attention.

'Troy…hey.' Jake said uncomfortably.

Ashley looked over at him and he laid a hand on her shoulder. 'Troy.' she whispered.

Troy knelt down in front of her. 'Did you just…?'

'Yes, Troy.' She murmured. 'Can you…can you take me home?'

'I can take you back to the hospital. I can't take you home, bub.' Troy got up and took hold of the wheelchair handles. 'Actually, one moment.'

He got up and went round to the front of the wheelchair. Jake looked at him. 'I'm really sorry, Ash.' He said, looking at her.

Troy made a mock sympathetic face, before punching him hard in the face. Jake ended up on the floor.

'Troy!' Ashley wanted to scream, but couldn't.

'Let's go.' Troy started to walk away and as he turned, Jake got up, holding the side of his face.

'This isn't over!' He yelled.

Troy ignored him and wheeled Ashley away. She wasn't sure whether he was talking to herself or her brother. She just hoped that whoever he was speaking to would stay safe.

**Please Review.**


	10. Golden Feeling

_2 weeks later…_

Troy heard shouting from inside Ashley's hospital room.

'Do you _want_ to walk, child?!'

'Not with you, I don't!'

'Walk, God damn you!'

'I. Can't.'

'One leg in front of the other. Go child!'

'I can't! I tried!'

Troy wrung his hands, breathing deeply.

'Why not?!'

'Because my parents told me to never listen to the likes of people like you!'

'Your parents are dead!'

Troy got up and ran in. 'Get out!' he yelled at the doctor.

A rather large doctor was leaning over Ashley, who was knelt on the floor, looking terrified. Troy stood in between them. 'Get. Out.' He tried to keep his patience.

'Our session is not over yet, Mr Bolton. Her official doctor, Dr Thomas, has assigned me to help her walk. Your sister is just being too stubborn.'

'Maybe that's because you've mentioned our parents…?' Troy looked at him like he was a moron.

'She mentioned them first.' He sounded like a small child in a playground.

'Oh, give it up. Our parents have been dead for over a year now, and she's only just starting to come round. Saying out loud that they are dead is not going to get her to go home any quicker!' Troy was fuming.

'Nice speech, Mr Bolton. Except, you might wanna check on your sister.' The doctor walked out and Troy looked towards his sister.

She was crying and Troy skidded to her side, holding her tightly. 'Oh, God, Ash. I am so sorry.'

He lay his cheek on top of her head, stroking her hand with the IV in it gently with his thumb.

'I am so sorry, sis.'

What was said next surprised Troy.

'I love you, Troy.' She whispered.


	11. Teaching

'I refuse to let her be taught by him. I won't let him.' Troy told Dr Thomas in his office.

Dr Thomas leaned forward. 'He is the most respected physiotherapist in America, Troy.' They were on a first name basis since Ashley had been in hospital for so long.

'But I…' Troy felt tears in his eyes. 'It kills me to see her in pain, so, so much, and leaving her with him, it just…it doesn't feel right. I saw how he scared her. I hated it so much.'

Dr Thomas sighed. 'Okay. Look, Troy, I can't let her go home. But if you are so intent on him not teaching her, I only have one proposal.'

'And that is?'

'You teach her.'

'What?!' Troy stood up, pushing the chair backwards, knocking it over.

'I have no more physiotherapists that are so trained to deal with your sister's condition, Troy. The only way I can think of is if someone she trusts helps her.'

'But she doesn't trust me.'

A nurse walked in. 'Ashley is asking for you, Troy.'

Troy nodded and looked at Dr Thomas, who raised his eyebrows. 'Oh yeah, she doesn't want you at all.'

Troy breathed heavily. 'Ok, fine. I'll do it. 'I'll…try…to help her walk again.'

* * *

'_How is she?' _Troy rang Gabriella, and those were the first words he heard.

'Better. I have a suggestion for you.'

'_Okay, shoot.'_

'Dr Thomas wants me to teach Ash to walk because that idiot of a physiotherapist scared her half to death.'

'_And this involves me?'_

'I want you to help. I want you to be there.'

'_Oh, Troy…'_

'Please? Please, please, please?'

'_Troy, let me finish.' _There was a light laugh from his girlfriend. _'I'd love to help. All I was gonna say was that I'm flattered.'_

'Oh, right. Okay, good. Well, um, today then? 2 o'clock?'

'_Yeah, sure. See you there.'_

* * *

'Ashley, I'd like you to meet your new physiotherapist.' Dr Thomas walked in.

Ashley rolled her eyes. 'Great.' She murmured sarcastically. 'Bring them in then.'

Dr Thomas smiled slightly and opened the door, letting her brother walk in. He grinned at her face.

'Okay, you lost me.' Ashley's forehead creased in confusion.

'Your brother is your new physiotherapist, Ashley.'

'You're kidding?!' Excitement filed her voice. 'Since when?'

Troy walked forward. 'Since now. And if my lovely assistant would bring the complimentary snacks in.' Gabriella came in holding a basket, filled with muffins. 'Homemade.' Troy winked at his sister.

Ashley snorted with laughter. 'Ow, ow, ow.' She said, holding her chest.

Dr Thomas frowned. 'Still hurting, hey?'

'Yeah, little bit.' Ashley laughed airily. 'It's nothing. It doesn't hurt that much.' Troy knew that it was probably killing her insides, but he knew _she'd_ kill _him _if he said it in front of everyone.

'Okay, I'll come back to check on you later. Have fun.' Dr Thomas walked out, and Troy put on a patronising voice.

'Now, Miss Bolton…' Ashley grinned. 'If you would be kind enough to take my hands, I will guide you across this sterilised tiled floor.' Troy grinned back at her, and then changed back to his normal voice. 'Okay, seriously. I'm just gonna take our hands and stand you up straight and see if you can stay on your feet unaided, okay?'

Ashley nodded and Gabriella moved her legs out of bed, spinning her body round until her feet hit the cold floor. Troy took the tips of her fingers, so as not to touch the IV, and pulled her up. Ashley wobbled slightly, and screamed in pain quietly. 'Oh God, what do I do?' Troy asked.

'Don't panic, Troy.' Ashley said slowly. 'Just…don't…panic. See, I'm fine. Just a bit of pain, I'm used to it.'

'Thanks for the reassurance.' Troy said sarcastically.

Ashley mimicked him. 'Thanks for the reassurance.'

'Hey, do you wanna walk or not?'

Ashley blew a raspberry at him, being childish, and then grinning.

'Okay…' Troy let go of her hands and her legs buckled, sending her down to the floor. Troy caught her before she hit the ground fully and picked her up, sitting her on the bed.

'You alright?' he asked her. There were tears in her eyes but she furiously wiped them away. 'Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Let's try again.'

Troy was unsure, but still picked her up off the bed and tried again. He let go, and once again, her knees caved in and she fell. Gabriella reached out but wasn't fast enough, and neither was Troy. He knelt down next to his sister, and hugged her, her crying on his shoulder. 'Can we stop, please Troy? It hurts so much.'

Troy nearly cried as well at the sense of pleading in her voice. 'Yeah. Yeah, let's stop for today.'

* * *

Troy sat in his guest chair next to his sister's bed. Gabriella slept in the one next to him. It was now 1:18 in the morning. He'd tried sleeping, but he had dreams, and none of them were good. He kept thinking about his sister. She was so young, yet she might never walk again.

The beeping of her heart machine caught his attention. The only good thing about the noise was that it wasn't one long continuous beep. He got up and bent over his sister, frowning. She looked fine at a glance, but then he noticed the redness of her face, as if she'd been sunburnt. He knew that wasn't the case, but he wished it was. Troy put a hand on her forehead, and the sudden coolness made Ashley's eyes slide open. Her temperature was at least 104°F, maybe even more.

'Hey, sweetie. What's wrong?' Troy cocked his head to the side, biting his lip.

'I'm really cold.' Ashley murmured, shivering.

Troy woke up his girlfriend, who shot awake when he told her what was happening. She came round to the side of the bed.

'What's wrong?' She said, smiling reassuringly.

'She's burning up.' Troy said. Gabriella turned to Troy. 'I'm going to get a doctor.'

Troy nodded and looked at his sister, who laughed, embarrassed. 'So what happens now?' She grinned. 'Is it curtains?'

'No, of course not!' Troy grabbed her hand. 'You're such a drama queen. You're gonna be better in no time, right Gabs?' he looked towards his girlfriend, who didn't answer.

She opened the door and grabbed the first nurse who came past. 'Can you get Dr Thomas please?'

The nurse looked in the room and saw Ashley shivering, and she nodded quickly, hurrying off. A few seconds later, and Dr Thomas ran in. 'What happened?'

'I don't know. She just suddenly burned up and her heart machine went really fast. She says she's cold.'

Dr Thomas nodded and called for backup. 'Wrap her in the duvet and follow me.' He told Troy. Troy curled his sister up in the duvet and carried her down to ICU, and Gabriella wheeling the drip with them. Dr Thomas told him to put her on a bed and he did. Dr Thomas started to wheel her away and Troy was stopped. He kissed her forehead and hand and waved goodbye to her, her waving back slightly.

He just hoped she was going to be alright. Tears were welling up in his eyes. Gabriella put a hand on his shoulder, but she didn't know what to say.

Eventually she told him she was going to ring the others and went to the outside of the hospital, doing just that.

Troy stared after his little sister, breathing heavily. 'Oh God….' He ran a hand though his hair. 'Oh God, please be alright…'

**Please Review!**


	12. Fearing For A Life

The words rang in my head. _You're gonna be better in no time…_ _You're gonna be better in no time…_

My brother's voice used to annoy me, as I knew that he wanted me to clean his room or do his laundry. That was before Mom and Dad died. Now, every time I hear his voice, I feel comforted.

Except now.

I can hear everyone's voices – all the doctors – it's obvious they're worried. My hand is throbbing, and I'm not really sure why. I hate the way doctors lean over you while you're being wheeled along an endless white corridor, and talk about you like you're an experiment. I guess, in a way, I sort of am.

The only doctor who is kind and respects my feelings is Dr Thomas. He holds back my hair as they feel my forehead and check my temperature.

'She's really hot…'

But that's just it. I'm freaking cold. I'm shivering, my teeth are chattering, and they're saying I'm _hot_?!

'Does anything hurt immensely, Ashley?' Dr Thomas asks me.

'My…my hand.' Another wave of pain washes over me, and I moan.

Oh God, I hate it when I shake. I have no control over the inevitable twitching my body is doing, and black dots cloud my vision as it gets harsher and harsher.

* * *

'Code 99. Code 99.' Dr Thomas yelled, as Ashley's violent thrashing of her short seizure lessened and her heart machine left a continuous beep buzzing around the hallways.

They pushed her trolley into a resuscitation unit, Dr Thomas barking out orders like an Army General. 'Pads!' Her small body was lifted up by the force of the defibrillator, and somehow, the beeping split itself into small beeps, reassuring the doctors that their patient was stable.

'She's not out of the woods yet.' Said one doctor.

'Does anyone know what's wrong with her?' Another asked.

'This usually happens when the patient is undergoing treatment, and the white blood cells have been knocked for six…it's as if it was…an infection…' Dr Thomas looked deep in thought and checked over her body, his eyes halting at her hand with the IV in it. 'That's it. That's it!' The excitement didn't last too long, as he realised the possible results. 'Oh God…'

'What's wrong?'

'The intravenous drip…i-it contracted an infection…' Dr Thomas ran a hand through his hair.

'What could happen? Is it life-threatening?'

Dr Thomas looked up. 'To be frank…yes.'

* * *

Dr Thomas wheeled Ashley out of the ICU corridor, still unconscious, and was startled that Troy was still sitting outside, waiting. A group of his friends were standing around him, and they all looked up when they saw the bed with the small girl on it. Troy jumped up from his seat and sprinted over.

'What happened? How is she? What's wrong with her?' he looked down at his little sister, grabbing her hand that used to have the IV in it. It didn't take a genius to figure it was swollen.

Dr Thomas grabbed his wrist and pulled it away. '_Don't_ touch her hand.'

Troy was taken aback by the sharpness. 'Why not?'

Dr Thomas talked quietly along the other doctors and then they wheeled her away. 'Troy…'

Troy's eyes widened. 'She is alright, isn't she?'

'Troy, your sister…has got an infection…'

'So? I get infections all the time, everyone does…right?'

'It came through the IV –'

'What happened?'

'Troy, let him speak.' Gabriella put an arm round his waist, and he laid his hand on top of hers.

'Just tell me out straight. What's wrong with her?' Troy bit his lip, dreading the news.

'Any break in the skin carries a risk of infection, Troy. Your sister's immune system went into shut down mode after the accident, and she probably has been like this ever since it happened. It was just a slow process. Infection causes easily visible swelling, which you can see in her hand, redness, on her eyelids, and fever. If the infection does not remain in one area but spreads through the bloodstream, it becomes septicaemia. She may already have it.' Dr Thomas looked solemn.

'I-is she…is it life-threatening?'

'Yes.' Dr Thomas knew Troy couldn't handle it when people spin stories to cover up the truth; he liked straight answers.

'Oh my God.' Troy breathed deeply. 'But…but…I thought the worst was over.'

'We all did.' Dr Thomas replied. 'She's having another put in as we speak, in her other hand. She's probably only just starting to come round. You can go see her after I take her back to her room. Go to the canteen and buy yourself something; I'll come get you when you can see her.'

'But I…'

'Troy.' Chad warned. 'When did you last eat?'

'Er…'

'Exactly. Come on, I'll take you.' Chad took a hold of Troy's shoulders and steered him towards the canteen.

The rest of the group just stood there, not really sure of what to say or do.

* * *

Chad came back to the small table with a tray and laid the meal in front of his best friend. Troy took one French fry and bit it; it tasted like rubber. He wasn't sure if it was his emotions or just the hospital food – he'd never actually tasted it.

'Chad, what am I going to do?'

Chad looked up. Troy hadn't talked since they got there, except for the odd 'yeah'. 'Just think positive.'

'How can I do that? I don't want to lose her, Chad, I can't!' Troy lowered his voice. 'I can't go through it again.'

Chad smiled sympathetically. 'I can't relate, Troy, but…if you don't think positive, she won't either. It's been known for years that if a hospitalised patient is upset, they won't make as quicker recovery.'

'What if she never recovers?'

Chad started talking to him, but Troy zoned out. He looked behind Chad at the table behind him. There was a boy sitting there, drinking a diet coke. He knew at once who it was.

Jake.

**Please Review.**


	13. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

'Troy. Troy?' Chad waved a hand in front of his best friend's face. After getting no response, he followed Troy's gaze to a boy sitting behind them. 'Who's that? Troy? Snap out of it, dude!' Chad flicked Troy's forehead.

Troy looked as if he hadn't listened to a word Chad had just said. In fact, he probably hadn't. 'Must you insult my forehead?' he said, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

'I must.' Chad said, nodding. 'Who's the kid?'

'I thought he was someone else.' Troy said quickly.

'Troy. You can lie to strangers, you can lie to your friends, heck, you can even lie to Ashley if it makes her feel better, but don't even _think _about lying to _me_.' Chad looked stern as he leant forward onto his elbows on the plastic table. 'Who is he?'

'It's…it's Jake.' He whispered, venom dripping as he said his name.

'What, Ashley's ex? Don't worry, Troy, he's probably just visiting someone.' Chad said, taking a sip of his coke.

'Yeah. My sister.' Troy got up.

'Uh-oh.'

Troy started to make his way out of the canteen and bumped straight into Dr Thomas. 'Ah, Troy. I was just coming to find you.'

'Uh, right. Um, I need to…see…my, um, sister…now.' Troy said, trying to dodge round him. He suddenly clicked. 'How's Ashley?'

'She's doing fine; she hasn't woken up yet, but she hasn't got septicaemia.' Troy stayed blank, only thinking about Jake. 'This is where you shout and cheer and cry with happiness, Troy.' Dr Thomas said, frowning. 'Are you alright?'

'I…uh…yeah. I have, um, a small problem…that boy over there, he's promised to make my sister's life a misery. And…I can't let him near her.' Chad caught up with Troy.

'Troy…if he hasn't done anything yet, then it's not in my power to stop him. I can't do anything, I'm sorry. Follow me; you can come see your sister.' Troy stared at Jake until Chad put his arm round Troy's shoulders and led him out of the canteen.

* * *

Gabriella was sitting next to Ashley when her boyfriend walked in. She was holding Ashley's hand, but moved out of the way when Troy came over. He took his little sister's hand in his own, feeling the warmth from when Gabriella had been holding it, and rubbed his thumb over it.

'Troy…' Dr Thomas started.

'Yeah?'

'That boy you were talking about…if you really want…I can put an order in so that he won't be allowed to see her without someone with him. I'm sorry I can't do anything else, but he hasn't actually hurt her yet. There's nothing else I can do.'

Troy didn't want him anywhere near her, with someone or not, but he knew he had no other choice. 'Okay.'

'I'll go put the report in.' Dr Thomas walked out and the slam of the door made Ashley stir.

She opened her eyes. 'What…what happened?' she said, squinting.

'Your IV got infected. You passed out. But you're fine now.' Troy said, smiling down at her. 'Ash…I…'

'We'll leave.' Gabriella said, pushing everyone out the door, but they all pressed their ears up against it, still unable to make out everything.

'I…I saw…Jake.' Troy saw Ashley's confusion.

'So?'

'At the hospital.' Ashley tensed.

'Oh.'

'Dr Thomas has put in a restraining order. He's only allowed to come and see you with someone here.'

'Please don't let him near me, Troy.' Ashley's green eyes flashed with pain and glazed over.

'I won't. I swear I won't.'

* * *

Sharpay brought Troy to the side as he walked past her to get to Ashley's room. The food and drink he was holding was definitely not for him, or from the hospital cafeteria. 'Troy, Jake just went in.'

'What?! Why didn't you do anything?!' Troy started to push past her but she caught his arm and held him back.

'Just wait. Please.' Troy looked at her, with a look in his eyes that Sharpay never wanted to see. 'If you don't care about me, do it for Ashley.'

Troy calmed down. 'Okay, 2 minutes.' He held two fingers up for emphasis.

'Okay.' Sharpay agreed, happy he'd not completely blown her off.

_1 minute and 46 seconds later…_

Jake walked out of Ashley's room, immediately catching Troy's eye. 'What did you do?'

'Will you stop already?! I may not have been the best boyfriend ever, but I'm still willing to be her friend. I'm not going to hurt her.'

'So what did you mean when you said "This isn't over"?' Troy said, staring into – what seemed to be – Jake's innocent face.

'At the time…I was…I dunno really. To be brutally honest, I was just venting…I really don't know…I was wrong…and I'm sorry.' Jake said, walking off.

'Jake!' Jake turned to see Troy. 'So you didn't mean it?'

'Mean what?' Jake grinned as he said it and Troy nodded almost to himself, smiling slightly.

'Thanks, Jake.' Troy said, walking into Ashley's room.

Sharpay smiled at Jake before she walked in. 'Thank you.' She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

As she walked in, Jake smiled. 'Pleasure.' He murmured quietly, not really sure who he was talking to anymore.

**Oh, what has Jake done to Ashley that was so amazing, eh? No-one will know…no-one! Mwah-ha-ha-ha. Well, until next chapter. :D**

**And yes, that includes you, Mel.**


	14. Amazement

Ashley sat shaking on the edge of her bed. She'd watched Jake walk out, but was still in amazement that he'd done this. Suddenly, the door swung making her jump, and Troy ran in with Sharpay close behind him.

'Ash! What did he do? What's he done?'

Ashley smiled at Troy. 'Nothing.' He frowned, raising one eyebrow. 'Nothing, Troy. Well, nothing bad.'

'She sounds like one of those preachers you see in the market square.' Sharpay was scared at how her "friend's" little sister sounded.

Ashley laughed. 'Troy, look.' She slid off the bed and Troy held out his hands ready to catch her as that was what happened.

However, as her feet hit the tiled floor, she stayed steady on her feet, even though she had to grab his buoyed arm for support. She took a step slowly towards Sharpay, enjoying every second of how their expressions changed.

'But…how…you…' Troy looked on in amazement.

'Will you be finishing any of these sentences?' Ashley said cheekily, her fingers digging in tighter into her brother's arm as she turned round and made her way back to the bed.

'But…he was only in here for two minutes.' Troy said, his mouth still slightly parted in shock.

Ashley frowned. 'What?' She shook her head. 'Jake was in here for 20 minutes.'

Troy raised one eyebrow, slowly turning to look at Sharpay with expectant eyes. He waved his arm in a "care-to-explain" way. 'Well…he asked for a half hour but I said no, so I gave him 20 minutes instead.'

'You told me he only just went in!'

'You didn't ask me to clarify.' Sharpay shrugged, making Ashley laugh. The small girl lay back on the width of the bed, her hands resting on her flat stomach.

Troy rolled his eyes – but not in the usual way. Generally, when he rolled his eyes at Sharpay it was in a tiresome way – in a way that would make her cringe – but now it was a friendly eye roll – one that just made her smile.

She excused herself from the room, going to call the rest of the guys. Troy sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and positioned himself so that he could see her. 'How? Why?'

'I think you know why, Troy. He already told you.' Ashley said, pulling his sleeve so that he was pulled down to lie next to her.

'But Ash…you could hardly get out of bed earlier. How did he do it in twenty minutes?' Troy said, biting his lip at the jealously that ran through him.

'I dunno…he just…did it. He just came in and told me he was going to help. He took my hands and led me across the room. It was weird; he didn't do much. He's not that bad a guy, Troy.' She said turning her head to face him.

He stayed, staring up at the ceiling, still feeling the jealously run rings around him. Ashley noticed this and turned back to look at the ceiling. 'You know, he's not my best friend though still.' She saw Troy turn his head out of the corner of her eye. 'There's three people who could ever understand me, Troy.' She felt the tears build up in her eyes. 'Mom and Dad were always there to talk to – you could tell them anything.' She could almost sense the smile starting to form at the points of her brother's mouth as he remembered his parents. He turned his head properly towards her, the tears falling sideways out of his eyes. 'And the other is the most annoying person I've ever met – the one person who was always there to anger me while I'm doing my homework, or pester me to do their laundry, or tell Mom and Dad that I did something I didn't. The one person who's been there for her throughout my whole life.' She finally turned her head to look at him. 'You're the only one who can understand me now, Troy. You have to understand that no-one can replace you – especially Jake Minefield.'

'I thought his name was Jake Mansfield.' Troy said, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

'It is. But you never know when's gonna blow.' She laughed slightly. 'Troy…even if Jake has helped me walk, so what? He's never gonna replace you – you have to believe me, Troy.'

Troy looked back up at the ceiling, the tears only just starting to slow. 'I do…' he said slowly. '…I do believe you, Ash.' He said with finality. 'I didn't know you trusted me that much.'

'I didn't used to.' Ashley said, smiling slightly. 'I used to think I hated you.' Troy's eyes widened. 'But I don't anymore.' She said quickly. 'I really do love you, Troy – I realised that the minute I heard those words on the phone.'

'The minute it happened?' Troy asked, raising his eyebrows.

'Well no. Give me a little something to work with here.' Troy smiled. 'I did know ever since you hugged me after it happened. There was something there that wasn't before.'

Troy smiled. 'How about another hug then?' he said, sitting up and watching her sister pulled herself up onto her elbows and then into a sitting position. 'Come on. Give your old brother some love.' He said, holding his arms out, speaking in the same patronising voice he had when he'd become her physiotherapist.

Ashley laughed and shuffled forward, curling up into his warm body, him wrapping his arms round her and resting his head on top of hers. He kissed the top of her dark blonde hair, some of his tears falling onto her soft thick waves. 'I love you, Ash.'

Ashley froze – she hadn't heard her brother say that to anyone since their parents died. She suddenly registered the last words their mother said to them, _"Troy, don't use Ashley to your advantage. Love you." _That was his silent fear – losing someone else he cared about.

She smiled and curled tighter into his body. 'I love you too.'

**Next chapter is practically done – I have been travelling up to Sheffield (blame my sister) and had no internet connection on the laptop. Next chapter is also the last one – it's gonna be a bit like Leaving Me, in the sense that the last chapter will be basically happy – much happier than every other chapter in the story. Review, and the chapter will come quicker XD  
**


	15. We're All In This Together

**Oh come on, people. 2 reviews - from my sister and friend? This makes me rather upset. :(**

_2 months later…_

'Hey Ash!' Gabriella waved her boyfriend's sister over to the bleachers as she walked in, hand in hand with her new boyfriend.

She was wearing a white dress and white cork wedges, with blue and green chunky bangles to cover up the thick scars on her wrists. Her hair was up in a bun with small wisps hanging down for a not-so-girly look. She had lip-gloss and mascara on – she looked amazing as she smiled at Gabriella, pointing her out to her boyfriend. She'd put on weight since the accident – she was starting to look healthy, though what you could see of her was still scarily thin.

Strangely enough, her boyfriend wasn't Jake. Even though she was still good friends with him, she didn't want to go down that road again. Shane Danforth was her new boyfriend – Chad had introduced them when he and Troy were fixing up the car and the two had nothing to do. He had a mini-me afro of his older brother and was quite tall – he was wearing low-slung jeans and a top with a rock band on it and Levi's.

Ashley led him to the bleachers where Gabriella was and sat down next to her, hugging her. 'Hey Shane.' She greeted, nodding.

'Hey Gabriella.' Shane said, briefly letting go of Ashley's hand so that she could hug Gabriella and then dig in her bag for her phone.

She dialled a number and put it to her ear. 'Hey Jake…yeah, we're here…5th bleacher up on the left side…yeah…ooh, I see you!' she shut her phone and waved Jake over.

He climbed up and sat next to Shane. 'Hey guys.'

Ashley smiled and shifted, holding Shane's hand again. She suddenly pointed. 'It's Troy!' she yelled happily. This was the first big game he'd played in without Jack as coach.

A huge cheer went up and Troy turned towards his sister, waving. He blew a kiss at both her and Gabriella. Chad stepped out with Zeke and Jason and waved to the row of friends, including Taylor and Sharpay – who'd just joined them.

Suddenly the starting whistle went and they started to play. Ashley's and Shane's fingers intertwined and they looked at each other and smiled. She watched Troy every second – she couldn't get over how fast and skilful he was.

Troy got hold of the ball and started dribbling down to the other end, holding his arm out for defence. He looked around, expecting to see his father cheering him on from the sidelines. When he realised all he could see was Coach Richardson and Ryan dressed in the Wildcats' Mascot uniform, his defence dropped ever so slightly and the West High Knights' Captain slammed into him, knocking Troy to the floor.

Ashley stood up at the sight of her fallen brother in fear. Gabriella gasped and mirrored the younger girl's actions. The Knights' Captain was fighting with the referee and Chad was running towards his unconscious best friend. Everyone else just looked on in shock. Ashley licked her lips, trying to decide what to do. 'Excuse me, Shane, Jake.' She whispered, stepping out of the bleachers. Shane went to go after her but Gabriella stopped him, silently showing him that Ashley knew what she was doing.

Ashley ran down the steps and onto the court, her heels echoing around the gym. Everyone just stared in amazement as she knelt down beside her older brother. The Knights' coach came over. 'What are you – a fan?'

'No, I'm his sister.' She said, not really paying attention to him.

'Well…' The coach cleared his throat. '…I suggest that you leave this to the adults, okay?' he said in a sarcastically sweet voice.

Chad stood up from his crouching position and walked next to him. 'Dude, all she's doing is helping her injured brother. And guess whose fault that is? Oh, that's right – it was one of your players. So just back off.'

The coach sucked his teeth bitterly but decided to walk off. Chad stood over Ashley just in case anyone else wanted to try her.

Ashley was on her knees. 'Troy.' She whispered. 'Wake up.' She lightly patted his cheek with her thin hand.

Troy's lip twitched and he opened his eyes. 'Ash? What are you doing on the court? They'll escort you off.'

'Already tried – Chad's my bodyguard.' Troy glanced up at his best friend, who smiled. 'Hey.' Ashley said, turning his face towards her. 'Look at me. Troy, you need to focus.'

'But Dad isn't here.'

'Yes, he is.' Ashley said firmly. Everyone was deathly silent, but for some reason she didn't feel self-conscious. 'He is here, Troy. Dad is watching over us – they both are. They are both proud of us – of you.'

'I can't do it without him.' Troy said, rubbing his temple.

Ashley took his hand off his face and held it in her own hands. 'Then do it _for _him. Do it for the team. Do it for Gabriella.' She paused. 'Do it for me.'

Troy looked more confident but still slightly scared without their father. Ashley smiled. 'Remember, Troy…' she grabbed his hands, standing up and pulling him up with her. '…We're all in this together.' She whispered, looking up at him.

Troy smiled down at her and held his arms out, hugging her. 'Thanks, Ash.'

She smiled against his chest. 'Knock 'em dead.' She pulled away and walked back up to her friends. They all smiled at her as she came up – in fact, every Wildcat in the gym was smiling; even some of the Knights thought it was sweet.

Troy touched fists with Chad. 'She's a smart kid.'

'You don't think I know that?' Troy replied, making them both laugh. Troy motioned for the other players to come over. 'Okay guys, we have 40 seconds to win this thing…'

Ashley smiled down at her brother from the bleachers as he signalled to Chad.

'What team?!'

'Wildcats!'

'What team?!'

'Wildcats!'

'What team?!'

'Wildcats!'

'Wildcats…!'

'Get your head in the game!'

* * *

Ashley had walked out of the after party and into the gym – she knew her brother would be in there. Sure enough, Troy stood in front of the basket with balls all round him. He slowly bent down and picked one up and shot. He hadn't noticed his sister standing behind him, so she also bent down and took one in her bony hands. She could hear him singing under his breath.

"_The way we play tonight_

_Is what we leave behind_

_It all comes down to right now_

_It's up to us_

_So what are we gonna be?_

_T-E-A-M_

_Team!"_

Ashley quietly shot and scored, making him spin around. She smiled, 'Nice game, Wildcat.'

'Thanks.' He grinned, turning back round and shooting.

'You really beat that team good.' She said, shooting another.

'_I_ didn't.' Troy said, looking at her and spinning the ball in his hands. 'The _team_ did.'

'Yeah, yeah.' She said, waving a hand, laughing slightly.

Troy shot but missed. 'Darn it.' He hissed. Ashley laughed. 'You think that's funny, Bolton?'

'Yeah I do, actually. What are you gonna do about it?' she said, stepping towards him.

'I'm thinking…' he said in a mock contemplative manner. He stepped closer and grabbed her round her tiny waist, grinning.

'Oh no.' she said, trying to escape.

'Oh yes.' Troy said. 'Tickling!' he started to tickle her harshly making her squirm but laugh still. He swung her round, still tickling her.

'Troy…s-stop it…plea…please!' she said in between giggles.

'Say "Troy is the bestest big brother in the whole entire _world_!"'

'Bestest…isn't…isn't a word!' Ashley yelled out in between laughs.

'Say it!'

'F-fine.' Ashley paused, still grinning. 'Troy is the _bestest_ big brother in the whole entire world.'

'Yay!' he said childishly, finally putting her down. 'You look beautiful today, by the way.'

'You mean girly?'

'No.' Troy said with finality. 'Not girly. I couldn't _stand _you when you were all girly and pink and frilly. I don't know why; I just like this – fun and tomboy at the same time.'

'I'm wearing a dress, Troy.' She said, giggling.

'Oh, stop contradicting me. I said it was nice; what more do you want? Anyway, some tomboys wear dresses.'

'Yeah I guess.' Ashley said, smiling.

Troy turned away, shooting another basket. Ashley frowned. 'What is it?'

'What?' Troy said, not turning round.

'You're upset about something. Come on, spill.' She said, crossing her arms.

'You…' Troy bit his lip, turning round and staring at her. '…You have her smile.'

'What?' Ashley stepped forward.

'You have Mom's smile.' Troy said, shooting another. He didn't turn back round, but he stared in front of him as if he was looking at her. 'How did you do it?'

'How did I get Mom's smile?' she asked.

'No.' Troy said, shooting and missing. This time, Ashley didn't laugh. 'How did you get through it? I mean, after you were hit…hit by that car. You're just suddenly much better about it. How?'

'I dunno…it was like something snapped inside of me. I just…I'm not sure really. When I found out I might not speak or walk again, I thought "Well, it can't get much worse than this. I can't waste time feeling sorry for myself." I guess you could say I just trusted myself.'

Troy was following until she got to the last sentence. 'Huh?' he walked forward.

Ashley picked up another ball from the floor and shot again. 'I had faith, Troy.' She said quietly. 'I had faith.'

**Hopefully that was good enough – I love this story; I'm kinda upset it's over. I'm also kinda glad because I kept having major writers block and I'm pretty sure most of you know how frustrating that is. **

**Please Review – I know I always say this, but it's the last chapter and I will be tres tres tres if you do not. I accept anonymous reviews so PLEASE?! I love you guys – you make me so happy. **

**Hope you enjoyed the story – you've all been great (:**


	16. HELP! URGENT!

Okay. So, I'm having loads of people saying it would not work with a sequel and loads of people who say it should be have one – or be a series. Help. :S

Please review this with whether you want a sequel or not. If yes, please tell me something I could do. I've already had one suggestion.

x- The Older Twin -x


	17. Sequel Details Please Read!

**Sequel Details**

_Okay, slowly getting there with my votes and suggestions._

_So here we go…_

**- I am making a sequel**

- It will include some drama

- Basic plot may change but so far it is: Troy goes away to camp; Ashley stays with the Evans'; she starts to get slightly sad without him and hints of anorexia comes back; someone (don't want to give it away) stops her before she gets out of control; Troy comes back and starts to get second thoughts about college.

- Don't know how long it will be – probably, I dunno, 5 to 10 chapters. But you never know with me; could be very long.

- Will be up in the next week or so. You guys know how I am with starting off stories – I suck at it.

_Yeah, so I think that's all covered. Review with more ideas and opinions please. I need them._

_x- The Older Twin -x_


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